Mobile reclining couch

ABSTRACT

A mobile reclining couch having a fixed seat and leg support and a movable back support which articulates relative to the seat to permit a person to either sit upright or recline on such couch. The fixed seat and leg support, which is adapted to be lengthened or shortened, is carried on a plurality of rollers to permit the couch to be moved about from place to place by a person seated thereon.

O Umted States Patent 11 1 3,610,651

[72] Inventor Clarence E. Jackson [56] aefergncescited PI). l 109, TGXISCity, TGX. 77590 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5; Q' $3 1969 478,247 7/l892Valentine 297 359 f 2,362,186 11/1944 Brantz 200/474 I a 2,847,0608/1958 Pearlstine, 297/359 2,883,683 4/1959 Burk 1 4 1 ,1 5/345 R3,377,078 4/ I968 Jackson 1 1 1. 280/7v l [54] MOBILE RECLINING COUCH 1Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

[51] B62b5/00 s01 FieldofSearch 280 792, 87.02, 87.05, 87.01, 47.38,71,474; 297/359;

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant ExaminerRobert R, SongAttorneyPravel, Wilson 8: Matthews ABSTRACT: A mobile reclining couchhaving a fixed seat and leg support and a movable back support whicharticulates relative to the seat to permit a person to either situpright or recline on such couch. The fixed seat and leg support, whichis adapted to be lengthened 0r shortened, is carried on a plurality ofrollers to permit the couch to be moved about from place to place by aperson seated thereon.

MOBILE RECLINING COUCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention The present invention pertains to a new and improved mobilereclining couch having a back means which articulates relative to alongitudinally extending leg support that is mounted on rollers tofacilitate movement of such couch from one place to another by a personseated thereon. The leg support is provided with means to vary itslength to accommodate persons of various sizes.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various devices, such as the "PatientSupport disclosed in my Unites States Letters Pat. No. 3,377,078, havebeen provided in the prior art for supporting patients, particularlythose having one or both legs injured or otherwise incapacitated.However, the apparatus of the present invention provides a simpler, morecomfortable and more versatile construction than that prior device. Thepresent invention not only provides a more comfortable couch suitablefor use as a bed for sleeping as well as for a couch for reclining orsitting, it also provides a variable length leg support to accommodatepersons of various sizes or heights comfortably thereon. Such lengthadjustment is accomplished by means of a detachable extension of adesired size which may be quickly and easily secured to the leg supportto lengthen it the desired amount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new andimproved mobile reclining couch of variable length for supporting aperson with an injured or otherwise incapacitated leg or legs in eitheran upright or reclined position. Such couch can be moved about fromplace to place by the person sitting thereon or by another, as desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedreclining couch having a fixed leg support member mounted on rollerswith a back support member articulating relative to said leg support atone end thereof with a detachable extension member adapted to beslidably mounted on the opposite end of said fixed leg from thearticulating back to facilitate either lengthening or shortening of suchfixed support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of themobile reclining couch of the present invention showing the leg supportextension connected to the fixed leg support; and

FIG. 2 is an isometric view from beneath the end of the leg supportshowing the details of construction of the means for detachably securingthe leg support extension thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Briefly, the mobile recliningcouch of the present invention is designated generally C in FIG. 1 ofthe drawings. Such couch preferably comprises a fixed leg or seatsupport L having a back support B which is pivotally connected at oneend so as to articulate with respect thereto. Such fixed leg support ismounted on a plurality of rollers or wheels W and has a leg extension Lwhich is adapted to be mounted at the opposite end of the leg support Lfrom the articulating back B to provide a support to accommodate personsof various heights.

Considering now the apparatus of the present invention more in detail,the leg support L comprises a longitudinally extending rectangularbottom I4 formed of plywood, particle board or other suitablesubstantially rigid material. Such bottom 14 is pivotally connected bymeans of a hinge (not shown) at one end to a bottom member 16 formed inthe articulating back B. Such bottom member 16 also comprises arectangular member formed of plywood, particle board or other suitablesubstantially rigid material to provide a rigid support to a personseated or reclining on such couch C.

A suitable resilient pad or cushion [8, formed of foam rubber, polyfoamor other resilient material suitable for forming a mattress or cushion,is secured to the upper side of the bottom members I4 and 16.Preferably, such pad or cushion 18 comprises a single longitudinallyextending rectangular member extending from the foot of the bottommember 14 to the head [60 of the back support member 16 so as to providea continuous unitary cushion for supporting a person whether seated orreclining on the couch C.

As shown in FIG. I, the bottom member 14 is supported in a generallyhorizontal position above a rectangular storage shelf S by means of apair of front legs 20 and 2t and a pair of rear legs 30 and 31,respectively. Such front legs 20 and 21 are generally wedge-shapedmembers and are provided with upwardly and inwardly inclined front andrear ends 22 and 23, respectively, which tenninate in a transverse crossmember 24 which is preferably positioned below the upper side of thecushion or mattress I8 so as not to project thereabove. Such bottommember I6 is normally connected thereto by means of glue, screws, orother suitable securing means. Such legs 20 and 21 have inner and outersides 26 and 27 which connect the inclined front and rear ends 22 and 23to form an enclosed leg support member as shown. Such ends 22 and 23have a laterally extending shoulder 26a extending therebetween whichsupports the bottom member 16. The base 28 of the legs 20 and 21 issupported on the upper side 19 of the support shelf S and is securedthereto by screws, glue or other suitable securing means as desired. Therear legs 30 and 31, respectively, are preferably hollow and are formedof inclined or tapered front and rear ends 32 and 33, respectively,which are inclined inwardly and upwardly toward each other, however therear end 33 is curved forwardly at 33! to join the front end 32 at theupper end thereof. Inner and outer sides 34 and 35 are provided on theends 32 and 33 to enclose such support legs 30 and 3]. A transverseshoulder 36 is provided on the inner side 34 of such rear support legs30 and 3| for receiving the bottom member 16 and supporting it in asubstantially horizontal position spaced above the shelf S. A transverseextending base member 37 is provided at the bottom of the sides 34 and35 and extends from the bottom of the end 32 to the bottom of the end 33and rests on top of the shelf S to which such bottom members are securedby screws, glue or other suitable securing means.

The storage shelf S is provided with four wheels or casters 40 on whichthe mobile reclining couch C is moved. Such casters 40 are preferablypositioned at the four comers of the rectangular shelf S, however, onlythree are seen in the isometric view of FIG. 1. The rollers 40 arepreferably swivel mounted so as to facilitate movement of the couch C inany desired direction with a minimum of effort by a person seatedthereon.

As best seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the leg extension support Lcomprises a square or rectangular bottom 50 which a cushion 51 ismounted. Such cushion 51 is of substantially the same thickness as thecushion 18 so that the tops of the cushions will be aligned horizontallywith each other when the leg extension L is connected to the support Las shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The extension L' has a pair ofstraps 53 that are normally positioned substantially parallel to eachother and are connected to the bottom member 50 by means of screws 530or other suitable securir ig means. Each of such straps 53 is insertedinto suitable openings in laterally spaced bracket members 55. Suchbrackets 55 preferably comprise U-shaped members having a base portion55b, a pair of laterally spaced upstanding side portions 55c withlaterally outwardly extending upper flange portions 55d which extendlaterally outwardly in opposite directions from the upper ends of suchside members 55c. Suitable openings 55e are provided in the lateralextending members 55d for receiving the screws 55a which secure suchstraps to the bottom member [4.

It will be appreciated that either one or more of such straps 53 may beused for supporting the leg extension L at the end of the base member L.A pair of arms 60 connect upper ends of the rear legs 30 and 31,respectively, with the opposite sides of the back support B. Such arms60 are provided with pins 61 at the rear end thereof for pivotallysecuring the arms to the bottom member [6 pin the back B. Pins 62 whichproject laterally inwardly from the upper end of the legs 30 and 31 areprovided for securing the arms 60 to such legs 30 and 31. The arms 60comprise longitudinally extending angle members 63 which include avertically disposed plate 630 and a horizontally disposed plate 63bconnected to the upper edge of the longitudinal place 630 and projectinglaterally outwardly above the top of the legs 30 and 31. Alongitudinally extending slot 65 is provided in the plates 63a forreceiving the pin 62. Such longitudinally extending slot 65 has aplurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly inclined openings 65a forreceiving the pin 62 to secure the back B at a desired angle relative tothe longitudinally extending base L.

It will be appreciated that when the arms 60 are moved forwardly so thatthe pin 62 is positioned in a rearmost notch 650 that the back member Bwill be positioned for supporting a person seated in an upright positionon the base member L and that when the arms 60 are moved rearwardly soas to align the pin 62 with the forwardmost end of the slot 65, the back8 will be positioned in a substantially horizontal position to permit aperson to recline in a sleeping position on the couch C. lntennediatepositions between upright and substantially horizontal are provided bythe intermediate notches 65!. In using the mobile reclining couch C ofthe present invention, a person with either one or both legs immobilizedor incapacitated may be positioned thereon in either an upright seatedposition or, if desired, in a reclining position. The length of the baseL may be increased the desired amount by attaching a leg extension L' ofappropriate size thereto by inserting the longitudinally extendingsubstantially parallel straps 50 into the brackets 55 to secure theextension L on such base L. With die extension L' secured to the base,the couch C will thereby comfortably accommodate larger person, such asadults, or, if desired, the extension L' can be removed from the couch Cand it will comfortably accommodate a child.

It will be appreciated that a tray, or writing support, or othertransverse support member, may be positioned on top of the arms 60 toprovide a work or play space for a person seated on the couch C. Also,it will be appreciated that the longitudinally extending storage shelf Sbeneath the couch C is provided for storing books, magazines, blankets,toys or games for use by a person confined to the couch C. Also, it willbe appreciated that with one leg incapacitated, and the other leg freefor use, a person may sit on the couch C with the incapacitated legextended longitudinally thereon and use the other leg to propel andguide the movable couch C in any desired direction to thus move aboutfrom place to place while seated on the couch C.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention areillustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size,shape, and materials as well as in the details of the illustratedconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

lclaim:

l. A mobile reclining couch adapted to be propelled by a person carriedthereon comprising:

a. a substantially flat horizontally extending base mounted on aplurality of rollers, said rollers being pivotally mounted to permitomnidirectional movement of said base;

b. A substantially flat horizontally extending support shelf forreceiving and supporting the lower portion of a persons body whenreclining thereon;

c. a pair of laterally spaced forward vertical support members mountedadjacent the opposite edges of said base for supporting the forwardportion of such shelf in vertically spaced relation above said base;

d. a pair of laterally spaced rear vertical support members mountedadjacent opposite edges of said base and forward of the rear end t ereoffor supportmg the rear portion of said shelf in a spaced verticalrelation above said base, with the upper end of said rear verticalsupport members projecting above the upper surface of such shelf;

. a back support pivotally connected to the rear end of said shelf andadapted to be articulated relative thereto;

f. a pair of arms pivotally connected to said back support and slidablyconnected to the upper end of said rear vertical support members forpositioning said articulated back support at a desired angle relative tosaid shelf support;

g. a substantially flat shelf support extension adapted to be secured tothe forward end of such shelf support;

h. a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallel straps extendingrearwardly from beneath the bottom of said shelf support extension;

i. bracket means adjacent the forward end of said shelf support forreceiving said straps to removably connect said extension to the forwardend of said shelf support; and

j. a longitudinally extending resilient cushion means on said shelfsupport and said back support and said shelf support extension forreceiving and supporting a person thereon.

1. A mobile reclining couch adapted to be propelled by a person carriedthereon comprising: a. a substantially flat horizontally extending basemounted on a plurality of rollers, said rollers being pivotally mountedto permit omnidirectional movement of said base; b. A substantially flathorizontally extending support shelf for receiving and supporting thelower portion of a persons body when reclining thereon; c. a pair oflaterally spaced forward vertical support members mounted adjacent theopposite edges of said base for supporting the forward portion of suchshelf in vertically spaced relation above said base; d. a pair oflaterally spaced rear vertical support members mounted adjacent oppositeedges of said base and forward of the rear end thereof for supportingthe rear portion of said shelf in a spaced vertical relation above saidbase, with the upper end of said rear vertical support membersprojecting above the upper surface of such shelf; e. a back supportpivotally connected to the rear end of said shelf and adapted to bearticulated relative thereto; f. a pair of arms pivotally connected tosaid back support and slidably connected to the upper end of said rearvertical support members for positioning said articulated back supportat a desired angle relative to said shelf support; g. a substantiallyflat shelf support extension adapted to be secured to the forward end ofsuch shelf support; h. a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallelstraps extending rearwardly from beneath the bottom of said shelfsupport extension; i. bracket means adjacent the forward end of saidshelf support for receiving said straps to removably connect saidextension to the forward end of said shelf support; and j. alongitudinally extending resilient cushion means on said shelf supportand said back support and said shelf support extension for receiving andsupporting a person thereon.